In my experience, they gave me very good assignments and were very helpful.
Floats tend to be given simpler, more "generalized" types of patients- pneumonia, failure to wean, and almost anyone ready to transfer out rather than fresh trauma admissions, balloon pumps or anyone really unstable.

​We have a critical care float pool in my hospital that we utilize a lot, and I really like the float nurses...they're awesome. I considered it but the one thing I really couldn't stand is that they seem to have to change units every four hours. I don't know about you but when I take over a patient I like to know exactly what's going on, do a full assessment, change dressings, bathe them and make sure everything is followed up. Usually I feel like I'm getting caught up after about 8 or 9 hours in a shift and if I had to do that 3 times a shift I'd lose my mind. There's just way too much going on, and way too much to get to grips with in 4 hours just to change assignments and units again. Nope...give me my two patients and let me fly for 12 hours. I know we get admissions and post ops but still....I would just hate having to give or receive report up to 5 times a day. No thanks. I think they're abused to some extent, and they never get the really interesting acute patients which I really enjoy taking care of.

I have floated, both as agency and as a staff member. I got stuck with the more difficult assignments, only as agency. As Rocknurse said, being pulled during your shift is VERY difficult. Find out if you would be jacked around like that.
Best of luck with your decision.

I'm an FNP (and also will have my AGACNP later this year) and really just went with the FNP because it was offered at the public university in my area, and offers more diversity in terms of job prospects. My background is adults and I currently work cardiology and internal medicine, so I'm not exactly using all of my degree, but I like knowing that if I wanted to go work in ER, an urgent care, or go work in a family primary practice, I would be able to. A pipe dream job later on in life is to work for the department of state overseas as one of their embassy providers, and you also need your FNP for that.

Overall though I kind of doubt I will ever use the full scope of my FNP, but I do like know I have more options. Also, even though I never worked in peds and likely won't, it was by far my favorite rotation in school, and probably where I learned the most.

In terms of jobs, I think most jobs for NP's are geared towards adults, at least in my area, so I don't think you'll have too much trouble.

IMO, the more important one to disclose it on was the application. Your resume is, as a PP put it, your sales brochure or pitch to get their attention. The application is more detailed and when submitting, you will have to attest (via checkbox, radio button, or just plain hitting Submit) that everything on it is complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge. To have omitted that job on your application would have done you more harm than good, especially if it came up on a background check.

That being said, be prepared to field any questions in case you do get an interview and they ask you about that short-term job.

"just being a registered nurse"...YOU must not be a nurse. And suggesting we are only an extra set of eyes is ludicrous. I work CVICU, pts fresh out of bypass surgery with balloon pumps, CRRT, 8 drips & 80% mortality rate....Doctor at home in bed sleeping...yeah, I'm just an extra set of eyes. CV surgeons expect the nurse to manage those drips, pumps & CRRT without bugging them in the middle of the night & they also expect their pts to be alive in the morning.

What is often confusing is that a resume is a piece of marketing material that you develop to communicate the qualities and experience that you wish to communicate. It is not a comprehensive application or work history. It is not only desirable to leave off short-term or unrelated work history but can even be seen as unprofessional or irritating by the person reviewing the resume.

I'm very curious to know where this is occurring. I have never heard of or flown a patient straight from a scene to an ICU. Does this ICU implement the American College of Surgeons trauma process? If so, what level are they? Is this a new process hospitals in your area are trying? That must cause some serious chaos with all the staff that is required.
[…]

Nearly all of our interfacility trauma transfers, both adult and pediatric, are taken directly to the ICU. If the patient arrives from the scene, they are initially seen in the ED, but the goal is to get them out or the ED and to the OR or ICU as quickly as possible.

I am unsure as to the “American College of Surgeons trauma process” that you reference? If you mean trauma center designation, then yes, Level 1 adult and pediatric.

TNCC can be very relevant in the ICU. The TNCC trauma nursing process (TNP) follows the same format at the ATLS trauma assessment. Regardless of whether the patient arrives from the ED, or via the transport team as a result of an interfacility transport, application of the trauma nursing process can facilitate a smooth transfer of care. Also, we are required to complete 16 hours of trauma continuing education every two years and TNCC meets most of this requirement.

[…]
I understand taking TNCC if you are a trauma ICU, but TNCC is starting to fall away. My system encourages ATCN instead, but we can get either one

I agree that ATCN is another good trauma course, but don’t necessarily find it any better than TNCC, and there are still many states in which it is not available. At the time I was able to attend it had to be given concurrently with ATLS. If this is still true, I think this is what greatly limits its availability.

Usually when i get patients back from OR, the PACU/OR nurses tell me a bunch of info that i don't actually care about. Like i don't care that they got one dose of ancef before the surgery, seriously i don't. I do care about who did the surgery, who's on their case, have they given any PRNs, what are their activity orders....etc. But every floor is different and want to know different things

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us as long as we have the courage to follow our dreams".

So don't discredit yourself until you've actually tried. You got through your pre-requisites already didn't you? Have the courage to follow through and the universe somehow aligns itself to the path you've set in motion.